Drip pan



Dec; '2 1940- L. J. JORDAN ETAL ,497

- DRIP PAN Filed May s, 1938 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Zinhentor: LAVERN .J. JORDAN 22 PER J. E. ANDERSSDN AND Wm. ER F. KNEBUSCH by (Ittonieg 24, 1940- L. J. JORDAN arm. 5 3

DRIP PAN Filed May 3, 1938 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvcntoi's LAVERN J. JORDAN PER J. EANDERSSON AND WALTER F. KNEBUSCH by ttorneg Patented Dec. 24, 1940 DRIP PAN Lavcrn J. Jordan, Fairview Village, Per J. E. Andersson, Lakewood, and Walter F. Knebusch, Rocky River, Ohio, assignors to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application May s, 1938, Serial No. 205,866

12 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for the processing of thread or the like; for example, multiple filament viscose artificial silk thread.

The processing of multiple filament viscose artificial silk thread requires the performance of a large number of separate processing steps each of which, in modern continuous processing apparatus, is performed upon a separate threadadvancing reel. Because of the large number of reels required, it is extremely important that the reels be compactly arranged; otherwise, an undue amount of space will be employed. In order to locate the reels sufficiently closely together, it is important that such auxiliary parts as drip pans and distributing conduits be of relatively small size. It is further desirable that they be capable of being used in multiple arrangement as by joining several in end-to-end relation.

In accordance with the present invention,'the drip pan for catching processing liquid falling .from the reels of one series is consolidated with the conduit for supplying processing liquid to the reels of another series.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is 25.illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of an apparatus for continuously processing multiple filament viscose artificial silk thread. Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Fig ure 3 is a perspective of the combined drip pan and supply conduit of the present invention. Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. Figure 5 is an elevation of a portion of a pan at one of the thread guides. Figure 6 is an elevation, partly in section, at the closed end of one of the drip pans of the invention. Figure '7 is an elevation, partly in section, of the coupling between adjacent pans.

The thread-processing apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is of the type disclosed in the application of Walter F. Knebusch and Alden I-I. Burkholder, Serial No. 7,114, filed February 18, 1935.

In such an apparatus, each thread is passed successively over a plurality of thread-advancing reels preferably arranged in descending order. Upon each of these reels, the thread is subjected to one of the several processing treatments necessary to manufacture a finished washed. It may then be subjected to a bleaching medium upon reel washed upon reel l0.

9, after which it may be It is preferable that the reels of each descending series be arranged in stepped relation so that the receiving portion of one reel is substantially directly below the, discharge portion of the reel thereabove.

This arrangement facilitates access to the reels for inspection and manipulation of the thread upon the reels and, moreover, makes possible a more direct passage of the thread between succeeding reels.

The several reels forming a descending series may be carried by an inclined beam l l to which the brackets l2 for the reels are afiixed. To drive the reels of each descending series they may be geared to an inclined 3 drive shaft I3 supported by bearings l 4 secured to beam H.

plete apparatus.

Each section may comprise eight to ten descending series of reels, a complete apparatus embodying five or more of these sections.

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, ten descending series of reels 1, 8, 9 and 10 form one section of the apparatus.

The thread-advancing reels illustrated are of the type disclosed in the aforementioned application of Walter F. Knebusch and Alden H. Burk- .holder; but,- if desired, they may be of any type which will function to advance the thread stored thereon in a large number of closely spaced, generally helical turns.

The reels illustrated comprise two interdigitating sets of cylindrically arranged bar members, the axes of the sets being mounted in offset and inclined relation. Due to the fact that the sets of bar members intermesh, the threads will be wound automatically on the individual reels.

Inasmuch as these reels are supported at one end only, they may be said to be of cantilever formation, their free ends being presented to the working face of the machine.

In each section, disposed beneath the several reels upon which a given processing treatment is performed, is the combined drip pan and supply conduit l5 of the invention.

This drip pan is of generally channelled cross section, the vertical rear wall l6 being considerably higher than the front wall ll.

At its forward lower edge,

the drip pan is provided with an internal conduit I8 formed by the inwardly projecting walls I9 and 20. The lower wall 2| of the conduit coincides with the forward portion of the bottom surface of the lower wall 22 of the drip pan. Wall I9 serves as the top wall of the conduit I8 and also as the forward portion of the drip pan. Likewise, the vertical wall 2|! serves as the inner wall of conduit I8 and as a portion of the internal surface of the drip pan.

The bottom surface of lower wall 2| of conduit I8 preferably slopes downward toward the forward lower edge of the drip pan. This is desirable so that liquid which is thrown upon the underside of this wall will run downward along the under surface of the wall, due to its slope, and will drop from the forward edge of the drip pan. By sloping the under surface in this manner, the liquid thrown thereon, instead of dropping at random upon the reel beneath the drip pan, will drop upon the thread-carrying portion of that reel 30 that a useful purpose will be served.

Projecting forward from the drip pan is a flange 24 forming in effect a prolongation .of the upper wall I9 of conduit I8. At its forward edge the wall 24 is formed with an upturned lip 25, constituting in effect a bounding wall of the drip pan, which serves as a rim along the forward edge of the drip pan to prevent liquid from running over the edge of the pan. By sloping the upper surfaces of flange 24 and wall I9 downwardly toward the rearward wall of the drip pan, processing liquid will be caused to flow upon the broad upper surface of wall 22 from which it may be collected for delivery from the drip pan. The disposition of flange 24 beneath the forward portion of the reel makes it possible to locate wall ll slightly to the rear of the front of the drip pan as a whole.

At spaced intervals along the length of the projecting flange 24 are re-entrant interruptions taking the form of open ended notches 26 extending throughout the thickness of the flange. Notches 26 should be located at the proper points to enable passage of the thread from the reels above the drip pan to the reels immediately therebelow. The portions of the flange 24 between notches 2B underlie the forward edge of the reels so that liquid dropping from the entire under surface of the reel will be caught. The upturned lip 25 is formed around the notches 26 so that a continuous rim results.

Adjacent each notch 26 is a vertical lug 21 projecting from the forward wall ll of conduit I8. Each lug 2'! is formed with a notch 28 opening at the forward edge of the lug to receive the clamping bolt 29 of a holder 30 for a thread guide 3|. The thread guide 3| is in this manner held in such position that the thread will pass freely through notch 26 from the reel thereabove to the next reel therebelow. Lug 21 may be strengthened by reinforcing webs 32 at its upper and lower portions.

At intervals along the forward wall I I of conduit I8 are openings 33. Into these openings are inserted plugs 34 through which extend distributor pipes 35. Each pipe 35 may, if desired, be formed with a large number of openings along its length so that processing liquid will be showered along the entire portion of the reel. If, however, the reel is inclined so that its forward end is uppermost in the manner illustrated, in Figure 2, the pipe will discharge only upon the forward end of the reel, the liquid in this case being distributed along the reel by flowing backwardly to its rearward end. Openings 33 preferably are located to one side of the axis of the reel therebelow as shown in Figure 1, so that processing liquid will be delivered to the side of the reel which is moving upward since a better distribution of liquid upon the periphery of the reel results.

At opposite ends of the drip pan are vertical end-walls 36 of nearly the'same height as the wall I 6. To conduct processing liquid to the conduit I8 the end-walls 36 of the drip pan are formed with openings 31. In line with openings 31 and projecting from the outer face of each'end-wall 36 is a tubular extension 38 terminating in an annular flange 39. Between adjacent pans of the several sections of the machine a flexible coupling 4!} may be secured to adjacent flanges 39 in any suitable manner so that the liquid will flow through all of said sections from one end of the apparatus to the other. The coupling 48 preferably is formed with annular corrugations and is made of yieldable material, such, for example, as rubber.

At one end of the apparatus as a whole, the annular flange 39 of each terminal drip pan I5 is covered with a cap 42 to prevent the escape of liquid. At the other end of the apparatus, the conduit It for each drip pan I5 nearest said end is, of course, connected by means of flange 39 of tubular extension 38 to a conduit supplying the processing liquid. Cap 42, like coupling 40, is held in place by suitable clamping means. In practice, the cap is made of rubber, being either entirely of hard rubber or of soft rubber reinforced by an interior hard rubber disc to resist the hydraulic pressure imposed upon it.

To carry off liquid collected upon the upper surface of bottom wall 22 an opening 45 is formed in each of opposite end-walls 36. A tubular extension 46 projects from the opposite end-walls 36 in line with openings 45. An annular flange 41 at the end of the tubular projection 46 provides a means at the end of each of two adjacent drip pans I5 to receive coupling 48 similar to coupling 40 which may be held in place by clamp bands 43 or, on a drip pan located at one end of the apparatus as a whole, to receive a cap 49 similar to cap 42 secured thereto by clamp band 44. At the end of the apparatus opposite from caps 49 a conduit may be secured to each of the flanges 4! in order to carry off the collected liquid.

To retain the drip pan in position upon a machine, it rests upon an angular member 5| which extends throughout the length of each section and is supported upon inclined members II which carry the reel brackets I2. To the forward portion of each angular member 5| is secured a second angular member 52 through the downwardly extending leg of which are formed holes to receive bolts 53 extending through openings 54 in the upper portion of wall I6. Thus each angular member 5| supports a drip pan and a second angular member 52 which provides a securing means for the drip pan therebelow so that the two pans are held in fixed relation with the top of wall I6 abutting the under side of the pan immediately above at the forward portion of wall 22.

Inasmuch as the several reels disposed along each tray are all supplied with the same processing liquid, it is not necessary that partitions-be located between the reels. If desired, however,

in order to reduce any splashing which might occur, partitions may either be afiixed to the drip pan or may be formed as a part of it. The end walls 36 prevent drops which are thrown from the reels from falling outside the drip pan. At the front edge of vertical walls 35 inturned flanges 55 are provided to afford additional protection to the front of the drip pan. These flanges 55 further serve to reinforce the vertical end walls 36.

Through the back wall E6 of the drip pan are formed relatively large openings 56 to receive the respective reels. Openings 56 must necessarily be spaced apart a distance corresponding to the horizontal spacing between the reels. In order to remove a pan, it is merely necessary to remove the attaching bolts 53, the reels which are associated with that particular drip pan, and the end couplings M1 and 48. If replacement of a pan is required, the new pan may previously have been provided with its own necessary guides 3i and pipes 35 so that upon location of the pan in the apparatus and connection of couplings do and 48, operations may start at once.

While a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that the drip pan is susceptible of numerous changes. For example, it is not necessary that a drip pan include all of the several features of the one illustrated, it being possible, for example, to form the under wall 2! of conduit I 8 as a horizontal continuation of wall 22, if desired, instead of sloping the wall Zl in the manner described. While the combined drip pan and supply conduit of the invention may be made of any desired material, it is preferable that it be made of molded hard rubber, since this material is highl resistant to the ac- 40 tion of the processing liquids. If desired, however, it may be made of some metal which resists the corrosive action of the processing liquids or it may be fabricated from any suitable material and painted or otherwise coated with a suitable 45, resistant material.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A drip pan comprising an elongated member of generally channeled cross section having two upwardly extending longitudinal bounding walls; a longitudinally extending conduit formed in- 55 tegrally with said elongated member, one of said upwardly extending walls constituting a wall of duit, taken as a whole, extends beyond the ends of said elongated member and is provided at each of its ends with an opening for the circulation of fluid.

4. A drip pan as in claim 1 in which said conduit is provided with distributing openings in its outer longitudinal wall.

5. A drip pan as in claim. 1 in which said conduit extends beyond and is provided at each end of said elongated member with a radially extending flange.

6. A drip pan comprising an elongated member of generally channeled cross-section having extending longitudinally thereof an under surface which is horizontal for a portion of its width and which slants downwardly toward the forward edge of the member over another portion of its width adjacent said forward edge.

'7. A drip pan comprising an elongated member of generally channeled cross-section having two upwardly extending longitudinal bounding wallsand, along the upper portion of the outer surface of one of said walls, a projecting substantially horizontal lip portion, said lip portion being interrupted at spaced intervals to provide open-ended thread passageways extending through and across said lip portion.

8. A drip pan comprising an elongated member of generally channeled cross-section having along its forward face a projecting lip portion, said lip portion being interrupted at spaced points to provide open-ended thread passageways extending through and across said lip portion, and, adjacent each of said interruptions, a projecting lug for the attachment of means for guiding thread through the interruption in said lip portion.

9. A drip pan comprising two upwardly extending longitudinal bounding walls; a stepped bottom wall which is higher adjacent one than the other of said upwardly extending walls; and, intermediate the high and low portions of said bottom wall, a longitudinally extending closed conduit formed integrally with said bottom wall in such manner as to connect the high and low portions thereof, said bottom wall projecting at intervals beyond the lateral limits of said con duit to provide spaced open-ended thread passageways extending through and across the projecting portion of said bottom wall.

10. A drip pan as in claim 9 in which said conduit is provided with distributing openings formed in an external wall thereof.

11. A drip pan as in claim 9 having associated with each of said thread passages a lug adapted to support guide means which lug is connected to the projecting portion of said bottom wall and to said conduit.

12. A drip pan as in claim 9 in which said conduit, taken as a whole, extends beyond the ends of said elongated member and is provided at each of its ends with an opening for the circulation of fluid.

LAVERN J. JORDAN. PER J. E. ANDERSSON. WALTER. F. KNEBUSCI-I. 

